Together For Racing International Cesarewitch Stakes

Heritage Handicap,
Newmarket 15:35
£350,000 added, 3yo plus,
2m 2f, Class 2   
Saturday 10th October 2020

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1 Great White Shark 9/2F
2 Summer Moon 16/1
3 Takarengo 50/1
4 Not So Sleepy 10/1
5 Rock Eagle 18/1
34 ran Distances: 3l, ½l, 3¼l
Time: 3m 55.15s (slow by 11.15s)

Trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Jason Watson achieved back-to-back victories in the Heritage Handicap with Great White Shark.

Having teamed up to take the race prestigious two-and-a-quarter-mile prize 12 months ago with Stratum, the pair combined to good effect once again as the well-supported 9-2 favourite made light work of testing conditions.

Buried among runners for much of the contest, the grey mare, who finished 10th in last year’s race, steadily worked her way between rivals before being produced by Watson to mount a challenge approaching the final quarter of a mile.

As those around her toiled, Great White Shark galloped on in resolute fashion to defeat top-weight Summer Moon by three lengths and complete a hat-trick of wins in the race for Closutton handler Mullins.

Watson said: “I couldn’t go early on in the race. It’s always tough as everyone is trying to get in a position they want to be in and I was a bit worried I was a bit too far back. There was so many horses in front of me I wasn’t too sure where I was.

“I spoke to the boys back home in Ireland, Willie and Paul Townend, and they just said keep her travelling as she loves being pushed along into the bridle and passing horses. They said keep her where she is happy as she will stay all day, and you know coming from Willie Mullins they will be fit and go through this ground and I had the horse for it.”

Though Great White Shark had plenty on her plate with half a mile of the contest remaining, Watson was confident his mount was always doing enough.

He said: “I was off the bridle going into the four and it was quite a gruel and she hit a flat spot, but in the end I was the one going forward and though it was a long way from home I was confident I was going to get up and she finished off really impressively.

“She didn’t have the nicest of runs last year, but she still managed to finish 10th running on. They were very confident with the weight she had today. She had a big chance on paper, but it’s a 34-runner field and you never know what is going to happen – I was grateful I had the luck.”

Although Watson has ridden for Mullins on numerous occasions in the past, he still feels privileged to get the call up.

He added: “It is always nice to ride in these big races as they are tough to win. I’m lucky to get on one for a big stable and have a good chance on a good horse.

“Willie is a top-class trainer, you don’t need me to tell you that, and when you ride them you know they are not going to be short on the day and that is what every jockey wants.”

BetZone

Emirates Cesarewitch Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
£350,000 added, 3yo plus, 2m 2f, Class 2
34 ran
Going: Soft

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (20)      Great White Shark 6 8-6 W P Mullins Jason Watson 9/2F
2 (5) 3 Summer Moon 4 9-10 Mark Johnston Joe Fanning 16/1
3 (26) ½ Takarengo 4 8-0 Thomas Mullins J F Egan 50/1
4 (4) 3¼ Not So Sleepy 8 9-4 4ex Hughie Morrison Graham Lee 10/1
5 (18) ½ Rock Eagle 5 9-6 Ralph Beckett Rob Hornby 18/1
6 (29) 2 Leoncavallo 8 8-3 David Pipe Andrew Mullen 12/1
7 (6) nk Whirling Dervish 5 9-0 Gavin Cromwell Kieran O'Neill 25/1
8 (22) ¾ Lynwood Gold 5 8-11 Mrs John Harrington Shane Foley 14/1
9 (34) 1½ Coltrane 3 8-7 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 5/1
10 (33) 2¾ Smart Champion 5 8-10 David Simcock Stevie Donohoe 40/1
11 (25) 2 Future Investment 4 9-2 Ralph Beckett Harry Bentley 16/1
12 (24) hd Arthurian Fable 3 8-7 Brian Meehan William Buick 22/1
13 (31) ½ Diocletian 5 9-5 Andrew Balding William Cox 50/1
14 (17) nk Just Hubert 4 8-13 William Muir P J McDonald 33/1
15 (12) ½ Jukebox Jive 6 8-12 Gavin Cromwell Dougie Costello 18/1
16 (19) ¾ Mondain 4 8-13 4ex Mark Johnston Andrea Atzeni 16/1
17 (7) 3¾ Reshoun 6 9-5 Ian Williams Jim Crowley 66/1
18 (27) shd Dalton Highway 7 9-0 D K Weld Tom Marquand 28/1
19 (16) 1¼ Lever Du Soleil 5 8-2 Gavin Cromwell Jamie Gormley 125/1
20 (14) 5½ Mr Chua 4 8-0 Michael Scudamore Nicky Mackay 50/1
21 (21) 11 Author's Dream 7 8-7 William Knight Megan Nicholls 50/1
22 (10) shd Blue Laureate 5 8-11 Ian Williams Rossa Ryan 80/1
23 (35) ½ Coeur De Lion 7 9-0 Alan King Thore Hammer Hansen 33/1
24 (28) hd Vis A Vis 6 8-3 Neil Mulholland Darragh Keenan 50/1
25 (2) ¾ Mutadaffeq 7 8-1 Gavin Cromwell Nicola Currie 125/1
26 (9) 6½ Mukha Magic 4 8-4 Gay Kelleway Callum Hutchinson 100/1
27 (15) 2¼ True Destiny 5 8-6 Roger Charlton Adam McNamara 40/1
28 (11) 1 Gold Arch 4 8-0 William Knight Jimmy Quinn 50/1
29 (23) 1½ Indianapolis 5 9-3 James Given Frankie Dettori 33/1
30 (8) 5 Island Brave 6 9-4 Heather Main Martin Dwyer 80/1
31 (3) 6 Alright Sunshine 5 9-7 Keith Dalgleish Jamie Spencer 28/1
32 (32) 1¾ Australis 4 9-0 4ex Roger Varian Jack Mitchell 50/1
33 (30) 4¾ Rajinsky 4 9-0 Tom Dascombe Richard Kingscote 28/1
34 (13) 1½ Cleonte 7 9-8 Andrew Balding Silvestre De Sousa 50/1
NR RESERVE 35 (1) Lightly Squeeze 6 8-0 Harry Fry

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